PepsiCo, the global food and beverage company, will participate in Dubai and Abu Dhabi editions of Think Science, the largest science-based event for youth in the region, for the second consecutive year.

Students at both events will have the opportunity to interact with PepsiCo team to learn more about how the company applies technology to solve everyday challenges – such as showcasing a Smartbot, which is a smart solution to snacking on the go. Three Smartbots will roam the Think Science fairs carrying Pepsi, Aquafina, Lay’s and Quaker products. These autonomous solutions will deliver snacks to students to certain locations. Once an order is placed through the Smartbot app, the Smartbot will make its way to a designated meeting spot, its lid will open for the recipient, and, once they have retrieved their order, the Smartbot will move to the next location.

PepsiCo will also demonstrate and reveal a smart, simple recycling station designed by engineering students from Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai, which will recycle plastic and cans waste throughout the event.

Recycling is a major component of PepsiCo’s Performance with Purpose agenda, through which the company aims to deliver top-tier performance while being responsive to the needs of the world around it. PepsiCo’s Performance with Purpose 2025 Goal is to design 100% of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable, with increased recycled materials in its plastic packaging, thereby reducing its carbon impact and increasing recycling rates.

Speaking on the upcoming event, Mustafa Shamseldin, Senior Vice President Foods Category, Middle East, North Africa and Asia Pacific, PepsiCo, said: “Think Science is a phenomenal platform for us to demonstrate the potential for STEM careers to make a difference to our everyday life, as well as to the world around us. Our company revolves around science, and we are committed, through Performance with Purpose, to encouraging more young people to pursue careers within the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as these are the fields that have the potential to change our communities and the planet for the better.”

As part of the 7th Annual Think Science Fair, PepsiCo will demonstrate the innovative F&B technology solutions in the form of a Smartbot to Zayed University in Academic City, Dubai on February 17, and Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi on February 24.

Background Information

Pepsi Cola International

In 1965, Donald Kendall, the CEO of Pepsi-Cola, and Herman Lay, the CEO of Frito-Lay, recognized what they called “a marriage made in heaven,” a single company delivering perfectly-salty snacks served alongside the best cola on earth. Their vision led to what quickly became one of the world's leading food and beverage companies: PepsiCo.

For more than 50 years, as tastes, trends and lifestyles have changed, PepsiCo has evolved with them. Our willingness to adapt and grow has transformed our snack and soda company into a collection of global brands including Pepsi and Quaker, Gatorade and Tropicana, Frito-Lay and beyond. Today, PepsiCo is one of the world’s most-respected companies with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories and 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.